Pasta with Garlic Crumbs

Well, tonight I made Pasta with Garlic Crumbs (it's actually called Rigatoni with Garlic Crumbs but I used Farfalle since I didn't have Rigatoni) and of course we had asparagus again. Hehehe

So here's the recipe, it's from my Pasta cookbook.

Pasta with Garlic Crumbs, it's a little spicy

-3 Tablespoons olive oil
-2 shallots, chopped
-8 strips lean bacon (I used smoked, YUM), chopped (this is an optional ingredient but I think it's a must)
-2 teaspoons crushed dried red chilies (otherwise known as crushed red peppers and you might want to use less or none at all if you don't like a little kick)
-14 ounce can chopped tomatoes with garlic and herbs (I didn't have this either so I used a can of plum tomatoes that I chopped and added garlic powder and italian seasoning)
-6 slices white bread
-1/2 cup butter
-2 garlic cloves, chopped
-1 pound rigatoni (or whatever pasta you want to use)
-salt and ground pepper (I didn't add either so as not to add any more sodium and it really doesn't need the pepper)

1-Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and fry the shallots and bacon, if using (which you should be :-), gently for 6-8 minutes until golden. Add the dried chilies and chopped tomatoes, half-cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

2-Meanwhile, cut the crusts off the bread and discard them. Reduce the bread to crumbs in a blender or food processor.

3-Heat the butter in a frying pan, add the garlic and bread crumbs and stir-fry until golden and crisp. (Don't let the crumbs catch and burn or the final result will be ruined.)

4-Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water (again I didn't use the salt), according to the instructions on the package, until al dente. Drain well.

5-Toss the pasta with the tomato sauce and divide among four or six warmed serving plates.

6-Sprinkle with the crumbs and serve immediately.

It was amazing!!!! And of course I made the asparagus like I did last time. :-)

I will be blogging about a cake soon but I can't spill any of the secrets until it's done and gone because it's a seeeeecret. :-D

Enjoy!!!

I'm blogging!!!

     So my sister Lynn told me that I need to start a blog for recipes since I post about the food I make on facebook. I'm not very creative (writing-wise) but I do love cooking and want to share the recipes I find. So here goes nothing!!
     I'm going to start off with my stove. We bought a 30 year old house with a (probably) 30 year old stove.

You can kind of see it there in the corner of the kitchen, it was electric with no window in the door. UGH!!! (We were just moving in, that's why there's a couch in the kitchen) So we got a new stove since I love to cook and a good stove makes for a happy wife. :-)

It is gas (converted for propane since we can't get gas out here) with convection. I LOVE it!!!!!

     So tonight I made Venison Chili, asparagus and garlic biscuits (I didn't have any cheddar cheese to make them cheddar garlic biscuits). Here's everything cooking:

And here's the food afterwards:

So the recipe for venison chili is from the Adirondack Cookbook that my mom and dad gave me for Christmas in 2006.

4 large onions, thinly sliced                              2 Tbs. parsley
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped                         1 tsp. Creole seasoning
1/2 cup vegetable oil                                       1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
8 oz. mushrooms                                             1/2 tsp. oregano
2 lb. venison, diced or cubed                           1 cup beer
2 Tbs. chili powder                                         1/2 cup tomato paste
1 tsp. ground coriander                                   1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin                                     2 or 3 cans kidney beans, drained
Dash of Tabasco

     Saute the onions and garlic in oil until they are limp and colored. Add the venison and mushrooms and brown. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend, except the beans. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add more beer if the mixture gets too dry. Cook until it is well thickened and rich in flavor. Just before serving blend in drained kidney beans until they are well heated. Pinto beans may be substitued for kidney beans. Serves 4 to 6

I left out the mushrooms and I used Franks hot sauce instead since that's my favorite, so you could use whatever hot sauce you like. I also added a small can of chopped tomatoes, I'll probably add a larger can next time just so I have more junks of tomatoes, or chop some fresh ones. We also sprinkled shredded mozzarella onto our chili.

     For the biscuits I just used baking mix and followed the directions for mixing it and I added garlic powder and fresh chopped parsley. I would have added cheddar cheese also if I had it.

     The asparagus was saute'ed in butter with garlic and once they were almost done I sprinkled parmesan cheese over them. YUMMO!!!

     If there's a recipe you've heard me talk about and want me to post just let me know. Or if there's a recipe that you think is awesome and want me to share let me know!! :-) I hope you enjoy!!!